Lake Illawarra High School is the first in the country to have an assistance dog - a four legged friend called Benson who helps with the intellectual and emotional development of special needs students.

Each day he comes to school with his minders Ryan Oleander or Martin Moore, and puts in an honest day's work with the school's students.

He's there to teach students with learning difficulties life skills like responsibility, empathy and love, and has already significantly cut truancy rates at the school as students look forward to spending time with him.

"We have students with a range of intellectual disabilities and emotional disturbances, as well as problems with school attendance and behaviour problems socially at school and at home," Lake Illawarra High School teacher Martin Moore said.

"Benson has had an immediate impact on the students - we noticed an increase in attendance and a dramatic drop in the amount of violence and bullying - that's the immediate impact he's had on the students."

While he spends most of his time in the school's special needs department, Benson has become a minor celebrity in the school yard as students call out his name and rush over to pat him when he's walking between jobs.